Charleston, Illinois

Charleston is pleasantly situated on the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, very nearly the center of the county, and 117 miles from Indianapolis, 14-) miles from St. Louis and about the same distance south of Chicago. It is a handsome little city of some four thousand inhabitants, and noted for its energetic business men, its mills and manufactories, and its excellent schooh, churches, and the genei'al intelligence of its inhabitants. While it claims i:o very extensive manufacturing establishments, yet there are several located within its limits, which will receive appropriate mention in the proper place. It is well supplied with water works, and the pure, clear water of the Embarrass River is thus utilized in providing its people with a bountiful supply of the health-giving element.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

Charleston was originally surveyed by Thomas Sconce, the first Surveyor of Coles County, and laid out by Commissioners (William Bowen, of Vermilioii County ; Jesse Essarey, of Clark, and Joshua Barber, of Crawford) appointed by the Legislature for the purpose of establishing the seat of justice of the county. The original town embraced, as shown by the plat on file in the Recorder's office, the west half of the southwest quarter of Section No. 11, in Township No. 12 north, of Range 9 east. It was resurveyed in June, 1839, bj Joseph Fowler, County Surveyor, and in this resurvey is noted the addition of Nathaniel Parker, of the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 10, etc. Since the first laying-out of Charleston, the records show some fifty additions and subdivisions to the original town by different individuals, giving it sufficient area, one would suppose, for a much larger city. It was named by the Commissioners who located the county seat, in honor of Charles Morton, one of the proprietors of the land on which it is situated, and who donated twenty acres of land for county purposes. In naming the place, they added the last syllable of Morton's last name to his first name, thus forming the word Charleston.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

The first house was built in Charleston by William Collom, who i's termed the first actual settler in its corporate limits. It was a small log house of one room, and in this spacious building he kept the first tavern in the future city of Charleston, then an incipient village. Such a diminutive hotel would scarcely supply the demand of the wayfaring men of Charleston now. The city is well furnished with excellent hotels. The Charleston House, with its genial landlord, Dan Van Sickle, is a model in its way, and is a cheerful home to the weary, wayworn traveler. Dan is an old commercial traveler, and, as such, has been the guest of half the hotels in Illinois and Indiana, and the experience thus obtained is used in the Charleston House to the advantage of his guests. The Maples Hotel, situated near the railroad, is less pretentious, but, withal, an excellent house. The first brick residence was built by Col. Norfolk, about 1835-36. James Wiley was the contractor, and superintended its erection. It is still standing, and being used as a residence by the widow of Col. Norfolk. Charles Morton was the first merchant in the village. As mentioned in the history of the township, he brought a stock of goods with him when he moved to the country, and opened them out in a cabin where he first settled. After the laying out of Charleston, he had reserved a choice "corner lot," in his donation to the county, and upon this he erected a storehouse. It was near the present post office. He also erected a number of " pole cabins " near his storehouse, in the rude style of architecture of that day. They stood all in a line, like the "nine little Injuns," and these he was in the habit of " letting "" to new-comers, three months free of rent, which time was sufficient to build a cabin of their own, if they were at all energetic. The second store in Charleston was kept by Baker & Norfolk, and was opened as soon after the town was laid out as the population of the place would justify.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Charleston Township - it names this place 38 more 38 times.